2317 
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The  life  and  public  services 
of  Andrew  3.  Draper 


By 

Thomas  E. 


Pinegan 


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^^.M 


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TTie  Life  and  Public  Services  of 
Andrew  S.  Draper 


By  THOMAS  E.  FINEGAN  M.A.  Pd.D.  LL.D. 

Auhtant  Commiisioner  for  Elementary  Education 


The  University  of  the  Stale  of  New  York 
Albany     1914 


The  Life  and   Public   Services  of 
Andrew  S.  Draper 


By  THOMAS  E.  FINEGAN  M.A.  Pd.D.  LL.D. 

Assiilanl  Commissioner  for  Elementary  Education 


An  address  delivered  before  the  New  York 
State  Teachers  Association  at  Syracuse, 
November  26,    1913. 


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The  University  of  the  Slate  of  New  York 
Albany    1914 
Gasr-N  13-4000 


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^  THE  LIFE  AND  PUBLIC  SERVICES  OF 

7  ANDREW  S.  DRAPER 

Mr  President^  Members  of  the  New  York  State  Teachers 
^  Association,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  Dr  Andrew  S. 
Draper  was  a  fellow-worker  with  the  men  and  women 
engaged  in  pubHc  education  in  the  State  of  New  York. 
He  was  deeply  concerned  in  the  diversified  interests 
represented  by  its  various  educational  organizations.  He 
was  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  great  educational 
forces  of  our  State.  He  was  able  to  bring  the  power  and 
influence  of  such  forces  to  the  united  support  of  all  meas- 
ures inaugurated  to  develop  and  strengthen  the  educa- 
tional system  of  the  State;  to  bring  more  complete  and 
serviceable  educational  opportunities  within  the  reach  of 
all  the  people;  and  to  raise  to  a  higher  plane  the  moral  and 
intellectual  attainments  and  the  social  and  industrial 
conditions  of  all  our  citizens.  Doctor  Draper  undoubt- 
edly appeared  a  greater  number  of  times  before  this 
association  and  the  other  educational  associations  of  the 
State,  addressing  the  members  of  such  organizations  upon 
more  important  educational  questions,  giving  them  and 
the  State  the  benefit  of  his  knowledge  and  experience  and 
exerting  a  greater  influence  upon  the  purposes  and  the 
scope  of  a  great  State  system  of  public  education,  than  any 
other  man  within  his  time.  It  is  therefore  appropriate  that 
this  body,  so  thoroughly  representative  of  all  the  branches 
of  educational  endeavor  in  the  Empire  State,  should  set 
apart  an  hour  at  this  meeting  to  give  expression  to  its 
>  feelings  of  esteem  and  appreciation  of  the  fine  qualities, 
flb  the  noble  spirit  and  the  elevating  influence  of  Doctor 

"f  Draper's  character;  to  acknowledge  the  gratitude  which 

"^  the  educational  workers  of  this  State  and  the  State  itself 

owe  to  him  for  the  distinguished  services  which  he  ren- 
dered to  public  education  in  this  country;  and  to  give 
iT        expression  also  to  our  genuine  sorrow  and  grief  for  the 
J  great  loss  which  the  State  and  the  nation  sustained  in  his 

^         death.   For  the  honor  conferred  by  you  and  your  associates, 


D7fH 


3744n;4 


Mr  President,  in  selecting  me  to  pay  this  tribute  of 
respect  and  honor  to  his  memory  and  to  express  your 
feelings  and  obligations  for  his  inspiration  and  service 
to  you  and  for  this  opportunity  to  express  my  own  feeling 
of  affection  for  him  and  my  deep  sense  of  gratitude  and 
obligation  for  the  great  privilege  of  having  enjoyed  his 
confidence  and  for  having  been  intimately  associated  with 
him  for  many  years,  my  most  sincere  acknowledgments 
are  tendered. 

The  town  of  Westford,  Otsego  county,  in  this  State,  has 
the  honor  of  being  the  birthplace  of  this  distinguished 
American  educator.  His  parents  lived  upon  a  farm  which 
was  located  in  one  of  the  most  picturesque  and  fertile 
valleys  of  the  State.  His  ancestors  were  of  Puritan  stock. 
He  was  the  direct  descendant  of  James  Draper,  "  The 
Puritan,"  who  settled  at  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  in 
1646.  His  paternal  great-grandmother,  Mary  Pratt,  was 
a  descendant  of  Degory  Priest,  one  of  the  Mayflower 
Pilgrims.  Two  of  his  great-grandfathers  were  officers, 
and  one  of  them  was  killed,  in  King  Philip's  War;  the 
other  two  espoused  the  cause  of  the  colonies  in  our  struggle 
with  Great  Britain  and  served  as  soldiers  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. His  mother  was  Scotch-Irish.  His  parents  were 
noted  for  their  strict  integrity,  their  industrious  and 
frugal  habits,  their  unimpeachable  character  and  their 
devotion  to  religious  duties  and  obligations.  Such  was 
the  ancestry  of  Doctor  Draper,  reaching  back  as  it  did 
to  the  very  best  blood  which  began  the  settlement  of  our 
country,  and  to  a  people  whose  ambitions  and  achieve- 
ments were  inspired  by  noble  and  patriotic  motives.  It 
was  also  an  ancestry  whose  descendants  became  enriched 
in  each  succeeding  generation  with  the  progress  and 
patriotism  of  American  civilization  and  reached  its  highest 
type  of  culture,  power,  influence  and  service  in  him  whose 
life  and  labor  we  meet  to  honor  and  revere  this  morning. 

His  first  attendance  at  school  was  at  the  rural  school- 
house  in  the  district  in  which  his  father's  farm  was  located. 
He  did  not  receive  more  than  two  years'  instruction  in 
that  school  for,  when  he  was  seven  years  of  age,  his  parents 
left  the  farm  and  located  in  the  city  of  Albany.  He  did, 
however,  attend  that  school  a  sufficient  length  of  time  so 
that  at  a  later  period  of  his  life,  after  reflection  upon  this 


experience,  he  was  impressed  with  its  importance  as  well 
as  with  its  deficiencies.  He  occasionally  visited  relatives 
in  that  section,  sometimes  going  to  the  old  school,  and 
many  times  conversed  with  the  speaker  of  the  impressions 
which  the  country  and  its  school  made  upon  his  young 
life.  An  incident  of  unusual  interest  occurred  when  his 
parents  moved  to  Albany.  They  took  up  their  residence 
in  a  house  which  stood  upon  the  site  of  the  present  Educa- 
tion Building.  Prophecy  could  not  reveal  that  the  mere 
lad  who  played  upon  those  grounds  and  who  there  indulged 
in  the  sports  and  recreations  which  were  aiding  in  the 
development  of  his  intellectual  powers  would  later  rear 
upon  those  very  grounds  an  institution  which  would  not 
only  stand  in  the  ages  to  come  as  a  monument  to  his  great 
achievements  and  to  his  visions  and  his  ideals,  but  which 
would  also  stand  as  a  mighty  power  to  direct  the  State 
and  the  nation  to  the  influences  and  forces  which  are 
able  to  develop  more  completely  and  to  preserve  for  all 
generations  the  spirit  and  purpose  of  our  democratic  insti- 
tutions. 

When  the  capital  city  became  his  boyhood  home, 
he  at  once  entered  its  public  schools.  He  completed 
the  course  given  in  these  schools  and,  as  the  city 
did  not  then  maintain  a  high  school,  his  studies  were 
continued  in  the  famous  Albany  Boys  Academy.  He  was 
admitted  to  that  institution  on  a  scholarship  earned  upon 
examination  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1866.  He 
taught  one  year  in  the  Westford  Literary  Institute  and 
for  a  time  in  the  Albany  Boys  Academy  and  also  served 
as  the  principal  of  the  public  graded  school  at  East 
Worcester,  New  York.  Having  decided  to  follow  the 
profession  of  law,  he  began  a  clerkship  in  a  law  office, 
then  matriculated  in  the  Albany  Law  School,  was  gradu- 
ated from  that  institution  with  the  degree  of  LL.B.  in 
1 87 1  and  within  a  month  thereafter  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  this  State. 

In  the  same  year  he  formed  a  law  partnership  at 
Albany,  under  the  firm  name  of  Draper  and  Chester,  his 
partner  being  Hon.  Alden  Chester,  who  has  become  one 
of  the  ablest  and  most  noted  Supreme  Court  justices  of  the 
State.  For  sixteen  years  this  firm  conducted  a  general 
law  practice,  enjoyed  a  large  and  profitable  clientage  and 


became  one  of  the  most  notable  law  firms  of  the  city. 
The  practice  of  his  profession  extended  his  acquaintance, 
brought  him  prominently  before  the  public,  developed 
his  powers,  exhibited  his  superior  intellectual  talents  and 
established  him  as  a  citizen  whose  abilities  were  sought 
for  public  service  in  numerous  capacities.  During  this 
period  of  his  life  he  served  for  four  years  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  education  of  the  city  of  Albany  and  for  four 
years  as  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  in  charge 
of  the  Albany  State  Normal  School.  The  duties  which 
Doctor  Draper  performed  in  any  official  capacity  were 
never  discharged  in  a  perfunctory  manner.  His  official 
connection  with  these  two  boards  brought  him  naturally, 
therefore,  into  close  contact  with  the  general  manage- 
ment of  the  public  school  system,  made  him  a  student  of 
the  problems  involved  in  educational  administration  and 
stimulated  in  him  an  ambition  to  contribute  from  his 
knowledge,  judgment  and  experience  to  the  solution  of 
such  problems. 

\jr  It  was  only  natural  that  a  man  of  Doctor  Draper's 
affable  and  charming  personality,  of  his  ability  as  a 
public  speaker  and  debater,  of  his  experience  in  the  law 
and  interest  in  public  questions,  and  of  his  clear  vision 
and  sound  judgment,  should  be  induced  to  participate  in 
the  management  of  the  political  affairs  of  the  country. 
Even  before  he  was  a  voter,  he  made  speeches  in  the 
presidential  campaign  of  1868  in  behalf  of  General  Grant. 
His  voice  and  influence  were  effective  in  every  national 
and  state  campaign  from  that  time  until  1886.  In  due 
time  he  became  the  chairman  of  the  Albany  county 
Republican  committee  and  afterward  the  representative 
of  the  Albany  congressional  district  on  the  Republican 
state  committee.  Under  party  customs,  this  position 
made  him  the  recognized  leader  of  the  Republican  party 
in  his  congressional  district.  He  was  a  personal  friend 
of  President  Arthur  and  represented  Albany  in  the 
national  Repubhcan  convention  at  Chicago  in  1884, 
where  he  labored  earnestly  but  unsuccessfully  for  Mr 
Arthur's  nomination.  James  G.  Blaine  was  nominated 
by  the  convention  and,  upon  Mr  Blaine's  personal 
request,  Mr  Draper  was  made  the  chairman  of  the 
executive  committee_^of  the  New  York  Republican  state 


committee  and  placed  in  direct  charge  of  the  Blaine 
campaign  in  this  State.  The  crushing  defeat  of  Roscoe 
Conkhng  for  reelection  to  the  office  of  United  States 
Senator,  after  resigning  that  office  and  seeking  vindica- 
tion of  his  course  through  such  election,  had  occurred 
only  three  years  before.  His  most  uncompromising 
enemy,  Blaine,  was  now  the  Republican  nominee  for 
president.  The  Conkling  men  in  this  State  could  be 
numbered  by  the  thousands.  The  contest  in  the  national 
election  would  be  determined,  as  it  often  has  been,  by 
the  voters  of  the  State  of  New  York.  To  Mr  Draper 
was  assigned  the  generalship  of  winning  a  victory  in  this 
great  political  struggle.  He  did  not  underestimate  the 
work  to  be  done  nor  did  he  have  any  misconception  of 
the  seriousness  of  the  situation.  In  the  command  of 
that  great  battle,  he  displayed  such  thorough  and  busi- 
nesslike methods  of  procedure,  such  earnestness  and 
determination  of  purpose,  such  wise  discretion  and  sober 
judgment,  and  such  skilful  management  that  he  became 
one  of  the  most  commanding  figures  in  the  political  life 
of  the  country. 

One  incident  in  the  campaign,  not  generally  known  to 
the  public  but  related  to  the  speaker  by  Doctor  Draper 
himself,  reflects  his  clear  judgment  to  such  an  extent 
and  reveals  his  ability  to  measure  public  sentiment  to 
such  a  degree  that  it  is  mentioned  here.  Mr  Blaine  had 
been  through  New  York  State  campaigning  and  had  gone 
to  other  sections  of  the  country.  The  campaign  was 
nearing  its  close  when  he  was  persuaded  to  visit  New 
York  City  again.  Mr  Draper  was  so  certain  of  victory 
under  conditions  as  they  stood  and  so  cautious  as  to 
what  might  happen  in  a  situation  of  such  delicacy  that 
he  opposed  this  plan,  met  Mr  Blaine  in  the  western  part 
of  the  State  and  endeavored  to  induce  him  to  abandon 
his  trip  to  New  York  City.  Mr  Blaine  could  not  be 
diverted  from  keeping  his  promise.  He  therefore  went 
to  New  York.  The  Burchard  incident  took  place  and 
the  "  rum,  Romanism  and  rebellion  "  issue  followed, 
which  cost  Blaine  the  presidency.  Cleveland's  plurality 
in  this  State  was  less  than  twelve  hundred  and  a  change 
of  six  hundred  votes  from  Cleveland  to  Blaine  would 
have  given  Blaine  the  election.     Had  Blaine  concurred 


8 

in  the  judgment  and  heeded  the  pleading  of  Mr  Draper, 
there  would  have  been  a  different  record  to  be  written 
of  the  pohtical  history  of  the  country  since  1884. 

In  1880  Mr  Draper  was  elected  a  member  of  the  New 
York  Assembly   and   served   in   that   body   during   the 
session  of  1881,   made   memorable  by  the  controversy 
between  President  Garfield  and  Senator  Conkling.     He 
affiliated  with  the  Stalwart  faction  of  his  party  and  was 
one  of  the  twenty-three  members  of  that  branch  of  his 
party  in  the  Assembly  who  voted  on  every  ballot  for  the 
reelection   of  Conkling   to   the   oflfice   of  United   States 
Senator.     He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  Legis- 
lature.    His  ability  was   recognized   and   he  was  given 
positions  upon  four  of  the  most  important  committees 
in  the  house,  namely,  ways  and  means,  judiciary,  public 
education  and  public  printing.     His  seat  in  the  Assembly 
was  contested  by  his  opponent.     The  State  Constitution 
provided   that  no  oflficer  of  the  government  of  a  city 
should  be  eligible  to  election  to  either  branch  of  the  Legis- 
lature.    He  was  at  the  time  of  his  election  a  member  of 
the   board   of  education   of  the    city   of  Albany.     His 
opponent  contended  that  this  position  was  a  municipal 
oflftce  within  the  meaning  of  the  Constitution.     The  case 
has  become  a  leading  one  not  only  in  contested  election 
cases    before    the    Legislature    but    in    important    cases 
involving  state  policies  in  public  education.     The  com- 
mittee on  contested  seats  reported  unanimously  in  favor 
of  seating  Mr  Draper  and  the  Assembly  by  unanimous 
vote  adopted  such  report.     In  his  able  and  successful 
defense  of  this  contest,  in  which  he  was  assisted  by  his 
partner,  Mr  Chester,  and  by  Hon.  Rufus  W.  Peckham, 
late  Justice  of  the  United   States   Supreme   Court,   he 
rendered  great  service  to  the  educational  interests  of  the 
nation  in  sustaining  the  principle  which  is  vital  to  sound 
school  administration  that  pubHc  education  is  a  state  and 
not  a  local  function  and  that  the  members  of  a  board  of 
education  in  a  city  or  district  are  not  local  or  municipal 
officers    but    special    officers    created    by    the   State    to 
represent  it  in  the  performance  of  special  State  functions. 
In    1884,    Mr    Draper   was    appointed    by    President 
Arthur  a  judge  of  the  United  States  Court  of  Alabama 
Claims.     He  served  in  this  position  for  about  two  years. 


This  judgeship  conferred  on  him  the  rank  and  entitled 
him  to  the  salary  of  a  judge  of  the  United  States  Circuit 
Court.  The  high  Tribunal  of  Geneva  had  made  an 
award  of  fifteen  million  dollars  under  the  treaty  between 
this  countr}^-  and  Great  Britain.  It  was  the  function  of 
this  court  to  hear  and  determine  individual  claims 
against  this  aw^ard.  He  served  with  distinction  in  this 
judicial  capacity,  writing  many  opinions  which  showed 
his  clear  conception  of  commercial  affairs,  his  compre- 
hensive grasp  of  legal  questions  and  which  also  demon- 
strated that  he  possessed  judicial  qualities  of  a  high  order. 

The  term  of  the  incumbent  in  the  office  of  State  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Instruction  terminated  in  1886. 
Judge  Draper  openly  announced  that  he  would  be  a 
candidate  for  this  office.  The  educational  people  of  the 
State  very  generally  opposed  his  candidacy  and  sup- 
ported for  the  position  President  William  J.  Milne  of  the 
State  Normal  College  who  was  then  principal  of  the 
Geneseo  State  Normal  School.  Judge  Draper's  ability 
had  already  impressed  the  leading  men  of  the  State  and 
his  integrity  and  his  qualifications  for  this  office  were 
generally  recognized,  but  it  was  vigorously  charged  by 
his  opponents  that  his  activities  in  the  management  of 
the  political  affairs  of  his  party  had  been  so  recent  and 
so  prominent  that,  if  elected  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  he  would  be  more  interested  in  using 
the  school  system  to  build  up  his  party's  organization 
and  his  own  personal  political  machine  than  in  using  his 
high  office  for  the  advancement  of  the  educational 
interests  of  the  State.  He  was  elected  to  that  office  and 
it  is  no  discredit  to  him  to  state  that  his  election  was  due 
to  the  support  which  his  political  power  and  influence 
could  command. 

Judge  Draper  now  faced  the  determination  of  a  ques- 
tion having  a  more  vital  bearing  upon  his  future  career 
than  he  had  ever  confronted.  He  was  not  unconscious 
of  this  fact.  He  approached  this  question  with  the  same 
calm  deliberation,  the  same  sound  judgment  and  the 
same  comprehensive  intelligence  which  have  always  been 
characteristic  of  his  consideration  of  great  problems. 
His  critics  in  the  canvass  for  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  did  not  know  that  he  had  raised  in 


10 

his  own  mind  and  settled  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  own 
conviction,  the  more  important  question  of  the  wisdom 
of  abandoning  the  practice  of  the  law  in  the  event  of  his 
election  to  this  important  office.     He  had  also  decided 
that  he  should   discontinue  his  active  participation  in 
political  affairs.     When  he  therefore  came  from  Wash- 
ington,   on    the    discontinuance   of  his    services   on    the 
Alabama  Court  of  Claims,  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of 
the  chief  educational  office  of  the  State,  he  advised  his 
law   partner,    Hon.   Alden   Chester,    that   he   had   fully 
determined  never  again  to  practise  law  but  to  devote 
his  life  to  educational  work.     Judge  Chester,  who  had 
been  his  close  personal  friend  from  boyhood  and  his  law 
partner    for    sixteen    years,    was    astonished    at    this 
announcement,  and  together  with  many  other  influential 
friends  endeavored  to  point  out  to  him  the  mistake  he 
was  making.     They  also  represented  to  him  the  future 
so  full  of  prospects  and  rewards  if  he  should  continue  his 
professional  legal  career.     He  had,  however,  decided  that 
question  himself  and,  when  he  entered   upon  the  dis- 
charge of  his  new  official  obligations  to  the  State,  that 
decision  went  into  operation,  connection  with  his  law 
firm  was  discontinued  and  on  the  declaration  that  he 
should  never  resume  the  practice  of  law. 

Judge  Draper  was  a  man  learned  in  the  law.  He  was 
an  able  advocate  and  a  skilful  practitioner.  He  had 
acquired  a  lucrative  practice.  He  was  well  known 
among  the  leading  men  not  only  of  this  State  but  of  the 
nation  as  well.  He  had  suffered  no  disasters  or  reverses 
in  his  professional  career.  He  was  but  thirty-eight  years 
of  age  —  too  young  to  abandon  a  well-established  pro- 
fession and  generally  regarded  as  too  old  to  embark 
successfully  upon  an  entirely  different  professional  career 
for  which  he  had  received  no  special  training.  His  well- 
known  success  in  the  practice  of  law,  his  extensive 
acquaintance  with  public  affairs,  his  high  reputation,  his 
conceded  integrity,  his  keen  legal  mind,  his  judicial 
poise  and  his  commanding  personality  and  influence  were 
the  qualities  of  a  lawyer  which  would  have  placed  his 
services  in  demand  by  profitable  clients  throughout  the 
country  at  the  very  time  when  the  great  commercial 
and   industrial   interests  of  the   nation  were   upon   the 


II 

threshold  of  a  revolution  in^their  corporate  management. 
It  is  not  unusual  to  find  a  man,  who  has  been  a  failure 
in  a  leading  profession,  abandon  that  profession  to 
become  a  poor  teacher.  It  is  most  rare,  however,  to 
find  a  man  abandoning  a  successful  legal  career  at  a 
period  of  brilliant  prospects  and  forsaking  the  oppor- 
tunities for  political  preferment  in  the  counsels  of  the 
State  and  the  nation,  to  assume  an  educational  position 
and  to  become  an  acknowledged  leader  of  his  country 
in  the  philosophy  and  the  statesmanship  of  the  adminis- 
tration of  public  education.  This  notable  record  was 
the  achievement  of  Andrew  S.  Draper. 

Since  his  decision  on  this  question  was  so  deliberate, 
he  must  have  predicated  it  upon  substantial  reasons 
which  he  regarded  suflficient  for  such  important  action. 
The  literary  labor  and  research  involved  in  the  practice 
of  law  were  attractive  to  him.  He  was  fond  of  hard 
work  and  therefore  relished  the  industry  and  application 
required  in  a  w^ll-conducted  law  ofifice.  The  constant 
bickerings  and  strife,  the  disputed  questions  of  fact  in 
small  matters  and  the  whole  controversial  character  of 
litigation  in  general  were  distasteful  to  him.  The 
methods  and  practices  of  unscrupulous  lawyers,  which  a 
successful  and  honorable  practitioner  is  required  to  meet 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  profession,  were  repugnant  to 
his  high  sense  of  honor  and  justice.  He  could  see  intel- 
lectual achievement  of  equal  value  in  the  pursuit  of 
educational  administrative  work.  He  could  see  prob- 
lems of  research,  investigation,  development  and  con- 
structive genius  in  the  field  of  public  education  as  exact- 
ing and  perplexing  as  those  involved  in  the  adjudication 
of  disputed  questions  of  law.  The  review  of  his  life  up 
to  this  period  shows  an  interest  and  participation  in 
educational  affairs  from  his  youth.  The  impressions 
made  upon  him  as  a  pupil  and  a  visitor  in  the  country 
school,  his  experiences  as  a  teacher  in  the  academies  at 
Albany  and  Westford  and  in  the  public  school  at 'East 
Worcester,  his  broader  and  more  extended  knowledge 
of  the  great  questions  involved  in  our  public  school 
system  which  he  gained  in  his  maturer  years  from  mem- 
bership on  the  board  of  education  in  the  city  of  Albany 
and  as  a  member  of  the  State  Normal  School  board,  his 


12 


information  of  the  defects  and  needs  of  the  schools 
obtained  as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  pubHc  educa- 
tion of  the  Assembly,  his  interest  in  the  subject  accentu- 
ated through  the  contest  of  his  seat  in  the  Assembly, 
when  he  made  a  careful  legal  analysis  of  the  relations  of 
the  State  to  public  education  —  all  these  experiences  and 
influences  combined  to  sharpen  his  already  keen  interest 
in  educational  work  and  undoubtedly  contributed  largely 
to  his  final  determination  of  the  question. 

For  six  years,  Doctor  Draper  rendered  distinguished 
service  to  the  State  in  the  position  of  State  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction.  Through  his  experience  in 
the  practice  of  the  law  and  in  public  affairs,  his  adminis- 
trative skill  and  his  natural  gifts,  he  brought  an  excep- 
tional equipment  to  the  performance  of  his  official 
duties.  The  high-minded  purpose  of  his  administration 
was  so  apparent  at  the  outset  that  within  one  year  the 
educational  workers  of  the  State,  who  had  bitterly 
opposed  his  election,  became  his  strong  supporters. 
There  is  not  an  important  question  involved  in  the 
administration  of  the  public  schools  of  the  country  today 
which  he  did  not  discuss  or  treat  in  some  form  during 
his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  this  office.  By  the 
eflficient  and  progressive  manner  in  which  he  discharged 
his  public  duties  in  this  capacity,  he  raised  the  office  of 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  from  a  posi- 
tion of  ordinary  standing  to  one  of  the  most  important 
and  dignified  offices  of  the  State  government. 
-  Superintendent  Draper  recognized  that  the  most 
important  factor  essential  to  greater  efficiency  in  the 
work  of  the  schools  was  a  better  qualified  body  of  teach- 
ers. He  therefore  entered  upon  a  vigorous  and  deter- 
mined campaign  to  place  the  work  of  teaching  upon  a 
professional  basis.  He  gave  the  subject  of  teachers' 
qualifications  most  careful  study.  He  considered  the 
question  from  every  standpoint  and  he  promulgated  a 
plan  for  the  accomplishment  of  that  object  upon  broad 
and  deep  foundations.  He  proposed  to  bring  together 
in  harmonious  cooperation  every  agency  of  the  State 
intended  to  improve  the  preparation  and  training  of 
teachers.  Teachers  examinations,  teachers  institutes, 
teachers  training  classes  and  State  normal  schools  were 


13 

to  be  reorganized  and  strengthened  for  the  performance 
of  their  special  functions  in  this  general  schenie. 

There  was  no  real  system  then  for  the  examination  and 
certification   of  teachers.     School   commissioners   in   the 
rural  sections  and  boards  of  education  or  superintendents 
in    cities    issued    certificates    upon    such    standards    and 
under  such  regulations  as  each  determined.     Certificates 
were  often  issued  as  a  matter  of  charity,  more  often  to 
meet  the  demands  of  influential  citizens  and  not  infre- 
quently for  the  purely  political  purpose  of  aiding  in  the 
reelection  of  the  officer  who   issued   them.     Much  had 
been  said  throughout  the  State  at  different  periods  about 
the  advisability  of  establishing  some  system  of  certifi- 
cation of  teachers  based  upon  examinations  prescribed 
and  supervised  by  State  authority.     No  real  progress  had 
been  made,  however.     With  all  the  educational  interests 
of  the   State    supporting    him,    Superintendent    Draper 
undertook  to  effect    the    adoption    of    such    plan.     To 
accomplish  this  purpose,  he  caused  a  bill  to  be  intro- 
duced into  the  Legislature.     The  measure  passed  that 
body  but  was  vetoed  by  the  Governor.     The  proposition 
that   only    persons   of  adequate    scholarship    should    be 
employed   as   teachers   in   the   schools  was   so   perfectly 
sound  and  the  right  of  the  State  to  enforce  such  require- 
ments   was    so    clearly    obvious    that    Superintendent 
Draper  was  not  to  be  defeated  in  his  efforts  to  accomplish 
an  achievement  so  vital  to  the  efficiency  and  progress 
of  the   public   school   system.     After   mature   reflection 
upon  the  whole  proposition,  Superintendent  Draper  con- 
cluded that  the  law  already  vested  him  with  sufficient 
authority  to   set   into  operation   throughout   the   State, 
under    Department    regulations,    the    very    system    for 
licensing  teachers  which  was  proposed  in  the  legislative 
enactment  vetoed  by  the  Governor.     He  did  not,  how- 
ever,   rest   upon   his   own   opinion   in   this   matter.     He 
appreciated  the  wisdom  of  sharing  official  responsibility 
and  of  bringing  to  his  support  such  additional  influence 
and  authority  as  might  properly  be  invoked.     He  there- 
fore submitted  to  the  Attorney  General  of  the  State  the 
question  of  the   State   Superintendent's   power   in   such 
matter.     He  did  not  pursue  this  course  because  of  any 
doubt  as  to  his  legal  authority  in  the  matter  but  because 


14 

of  his  assurance  of  what  the  law  was  and  of  what  the 
opinion  of  the  chief  legal  adviser  of  the  State  would 
be.  He  was  not  disappointed  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Attorney  General,  Hon.  Charles  F.  Tabor,  a  leading 
lawyer  of  the  State  and  one  of  New  York's  notable 
Attorney  Generals.  That  officer  concurred  in  every 
respect  in  the  opinion  of  Superintendent  Draper.  But, 
even  then.  Doctor  Draper  did  not  undertake  to  force 
the  adoption  of  his  plan.  There  were  many  progressive 
school  commissioners  and  superintendents  throughout  the 
State.  A  majority  of  these  officers  accepted  the  sugges- 
tion to  adopt  voluntarily  a  uniform  system  of  examina- 
tions upon  which  the  certification  of  teachers  should  be 
based.  Others  gradually  adopted  the  system  until  it 
became  operative  in  every  school  commissioner  district 
in  the  State  and  in  many  of  the  cities.  Thus,  by  rational 
discussion,  by  the  consideration  of  the  rights  and  opinions 
of  others,  and  by  the  cooperation  of  all  the  interests 
involved  in  a  troublesome  question  he  had  inaugurated 
a  great  educational  reform.  By  so  doing,  he  had  struck 
an  effective  blow  at  the  interests  and  forces  which  were 
using  the  public  schools  of  the  State  for  selfish  and 
improper  purposes. 

Teachers  institutes  and  teachers  training  classes  were 
the  chief  agencies  for  the  education,  training  and  intel- 
lectual improvement  of  the  great  majority  of  teachers 
employed  outside  the  cities.  Institutes  were  generally 
held  by  counties.  This  plan  was  changed  and  they  were 
held  by  commissioner  districts.  They  were  given  closer 
supervision.  The  instruction  was  adapted  to  the  needs 
of  the  teachers  in  the  several  communities  of  the  State 
so  far  as  such  needs  were  ascertainable.  Attendance  of 
teachers  was  made  compulsory  and  school  authorities 
were  required  to  close  school  and  pay  teachers  their 
salaries  for  the  time  they  were  in  actual  attendance  at 
the  institutes.  Teachers  training  classes  had  been  under 
the  supervision  of  the  Regents  from  the  organization  of 
such  classes  in  1834.  The  Regents  were  at  that  time 
charged  with  no  responsibility  in  connection  with  ele- 
mentary education.  The  training  classes  were  organized 
to  prepare  teachers  especially  for  the  rural  schools  which 
were  under  the  supervision  of  the  State  Superintendent 


15 

of  Public  Instruction.     Doctor  Draper  claimed   in  the 
interest  of  efficiency  and  good  administration  that  the 
supervision  of  such  training  classes  should  be  transferred 
from  the  Regents  to  the   State   Department  of  Public 
Instruction.     The  Regents  concurred  in  this  opinion  and 
the    law   was   amended    authorizing   this    change.     The 
number  of  these  classes  was  reduced  from  about  two 
hundred    to    about    eighty    and    the    number    of   pupils 
attending  such  classes  was  reduced  by  more  than  one- 
half.     The  period  of  instruction  was  increased  to  thirty- 
two  weeks.     A  definite  course  of  study  was  prescribed 
and  observation    and    practice    in    teaching    under    an 
approved  critic  were  required.     Examinations  were  set 
for  entrance   to  these  classes  and   for  the  granting  of 
certificates    on    the    completion    of   the    course.     Under 
these  modifications,   training  classes  were  brought  into 
harmonious  relation  with  the  State  school  system  and 
became  an  effective  force  in  training  rural  school  teachers. 
Doctor  Draper  had  a  keen  appreciation  of  how  little 
the    State   was    doing   for    the    professional    training   of 
teachers.     He    believed    that    the    cities    and    populous 
centers  should  be  required  to  employ  only  those  teachers 
who  had  qualified  by  special  training  for  the  important 
work   of  teaching.     He   officially   recommended   to   the 
Legislature  that  the  law  regulating  the  employment  of 
elementary  teachers  in  cities  be  so  amended  as  to  pro- 
hibit a  contract  with  a  teacher  who  had  not  been  gradu- 
ated from  an  approved  high  school  and  thereafter  com- 
pleted an  approved  professional  course  covering  at  least 
one  year.     He  assisted  a  committee  of  the  Council  of 
City  Superintendents  in  drafting  a  bill  on  this  subject. 
Although  meeting  with  disfavor  at  first,  it  was  finally 
enacted    into   law   and   forms   the   basis  of  the   present 
requirements  for  teachers  in  the  elementary  schools  of 
cities  and  villages.     He  knew  that  the  normal  schools 
were  not  able  to  supply  the  necessary  number  of  teachers 
and  he  therefore  recommended  the  establishment  of  city 
training   schools.     He  was,   however,   the   strong   friend 
and   supporter  of  our  system  of  State  normal   schools. 
He  extended  to  these  institutions  every  assistance  and 
encouragement    necessary    to    strengthen    and    develop 
them  so  that  they  might  annually  supply  a  large  body 


i6 

of  educated,  trained  teachers  for  the  schools  of  the  State. 
Three  additional  State  normal  schools  were  organized 
during  his  administration  as  State  Superintendent. 

Through  his  efforts  provision  was  made  for  the  granting 
of  certificates  to  college  graduates  without  examination 
and  for  the  indorsement  of  normal  school  diplomas  and 
life  state  certificates  issued  by  the  authorities  of  other 
states.  He  also  recognized  the  necessity  of  making 
special  provision  for  the  training  of  teachers  for  the  fine 
system  of  secondary  schools  which  was  developing  in  the 
State.  Upon  his  recommendation,  the  Albany  State 
Normal  School  was  incorporated  as  the  New  York  State 
Normal  College  for  this  special  work. 

What  a  broad  conception  he  possessed  of  the  power, 
influence  and  dignity  of  the  teaching  force  of  a  great 
school  system  and  with  what  masterly  skill  he  organized 
for  efficient  and  economic  service  all  the  instrumentalities 
of  the  State  for  the  proper  education  and  training  of 
those  desiring  to  enter  the  teaching  profession.  He 
believed  that,  if  a  teaching  force  of  greater  intellectual 
attainments  was  to  be  attracted  to  educational  service, 
the  status  of  such  service  should  be  exalted  and  dignified 
and  those  entering  upon  that  service  should  be  protected 
in  their  legitimate  rights.  He  used  every  honorable 
means  at  his  command  to  accomplish  these  objects.  He 
openly  advised  teachers  to  insist  upon  the  treatment  to 
which  their  high  calling  entitled  them.  He  also  urged 
the  public  to  accord  them  such  recognition.  When  the 
laws  were  deficient  in  any  of  these  matters,  he  frankly 
presented  the  subject  to  the  Legislature  and  recom- 
mended and  generally  obtained  such  modifications  of  the 
law  or  such  additional  enactments  as  were  necessary  to 
effect  the  desired  results. 

He  knew  from  personal  experience  the  embarrassment 
and  hardship  which  resulted  from  the  custom  of  paying 
teachers  in  many  parts  of  the  State  at  the  termination 
of  their  services,  or  when  the  public  moneys  apportioned 
by  the  State  were  received.  Upon  his  initiative  there 
was  incorporated  into  the  law  a  provision  requiring  all 
school  boards  to  deliver  to  teachers,  at  the  time  of  making 
contracts  with  them,  a  written  mernorandum  as  to  the 
term  of  service  and   the  compensation  to  be   received. 


17 

This  law  further  required  that  the  compensation  of  every 
teacher  should  become  due  and  payable  as  often  as  at 
the  end  of  each  month.  When  ingenious  school  boards 
began  the  payment  of  salaries  by  giving  orders  upon 
empty  treasuries,  he  was  instrumental  in  obtaining  fur- 
ther amendments  to  the  law  making  it  a  misdemeanor 
for  a  school  board  to  issue  an  order  for  the  payment  of 
the  salary  of  a  teacher  upon  any  custodian  of  school 
funds  unless  there  were  sufficient  funds  in  the  hands  of 
such  custodian  to  meet  the  payment  of  such  order.  This 
action  created  a  wholesome  respect  for  the  law  and  it 
was  cheerfully  obeyed.  No  officer  was  ever  charged 
under  the  law  with  the  sacred  privilege  of  protecting 
under  supervisory  powers  or  by  judicial  decree  the  inter- 
ests and  rights  of  the  teaching  profession,  who  exercised 
such  high  functions  with  greater  conscientious  devotion 
to  duty  than  did  Andrew  S.  Draper. 

It  may  appear  that  we  have  placed  much  emphasis 
upon  his  labors  in  connection  with  the  advancement  of 
the  teaching  profession.  This  is  intended,  for  it  has 
proved  to  be  a  conspicuous  achievement  of  his  six  years' 
service  as  State  Superintendent.  When  he  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  that  office,  the  number  of  teachers  employed 
in  the  schools  of  the  State  was  31,325  and,  of  this  num- 
ber, only  2065,  or  a  little  over  7  per  cent,  had  received 
professional  training  or  had  been  licensed  under  State 
authority.  Under  the  plan  of  his  great  constructive 
genius,  of  the  teaching  force  which  had  grown  to  exceed 
44,000  in  the  year  of  his  death,  30,000,  or  70  per  cent, 
had  received  professional  training  and  every  teacher 
employed  had  been  certificated  by  State  authority. 

While  this  distinct  service  stands  out  prominently,  it 
should  be  remembered  that  every  other  interest  under 
his  official  charge  was  given  the  same  general  considera- 
tion and  moved  forward  under  his  stimulus  and  guidance 
with  equal  advancement.  The  limitations  of  time  will 
permit  a  mere  reference  to  only  the  more  important  of 
these.  The  required  length  of  time  for  which  school 
must  be  maintained  in  each  district  of  the  State  was 
increased  from  twenty-eight  to  thirty-two  weeks.  The 
amount  of  the  appropriation  made  by  the  State  for  the 
support  of  the  common  school  system  was  increased  one 


i8 

million  dollars.  The  method  of  apportioning  State  funds 
was  put  upon  a  more  equitable  basis,  insuring  the  weak 
rural  district  greater  financial  support.  He  pointed  out 
the  disgraceful  unsanitary  conditions  existing  in  school 
buildings  throughout  the  State,  with  the  result  that  the 
health  and  decency  act  was  enacted,  requiring  suitable 
outbuildings  for  every  school  in  the  State  under  penalty 
of  forfeiture  of  public  moneys  for  failing  to  comply  there- 
with. The  construction  of  school  buildings  under 
approved  plans  for  heating,  lighting  and  ventilating  was 
required.  Plans  for  the  rehabilitation  of  school  district 
I  braries  were  set  in  operation.  The  first  course  of 
study  for  the  ungraded  schools  of  the  State  was  prepared. 
A  careful  and  comprehensive  study  of  compulsory  edu- 
cation was  made,  and  a  bill  upon  the  subject  prepared 
and  submitted  to  the  Legislature.  This  measure  later 
became  the  basis  of  our  present  compulsory  attendance 
law. 

In  all  his  great  constructive  work  as  State  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction,  he  was  guided  by  the 
fundamental  principle  that  public  education  is  a  state 
function.  He  was  so  sane  in  his  demands  that  he  brought 
public  sentiment  to  the  support  of  all  his  great  educational 
reforms.  Minimum  standards  only  were  prescribed  by 
the  State.  Each  community  was  given  absolute  freedom 
in  reaching  such  standards  and  in  extending  such  addi- 
tional educational  facilities  as  its  people  would  support. 

Long  before  Doctor  Draper  concluded  his  six  years' 
service  as  State  Superintendent,  he  ranked  as  the  ablest 
and  most  accomplished  chief  educational  officer  in  the 
several  states  of  this  country.  The  influence  of  his 
achievements  was  not  confined  to  the  boundaries  of  our 
own  State.  It  extended  to  every  state  in  the  nation. 
Under  his  leadership  there  had  been  a  national  awakening 
in  educationa  affairs.  As  time  goes  by,  the  student  of 
educational  reforms  and  of  school  administration  will 
recognize  the  preeminence  of  his  service  and  will  classify 
him  as  the  Horace  Mann  and  the  Henry  Barnard  of 
his  age. 

There  were  bound  to  be  many  demands  for  the  services 
of  a  man  of  the  achievements  and  reputation  of  Doctor 
Draper.     In  the  year  in  which  he  retired  from  the  office 


19 

of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  he  was 
invited  to  accept  the  superintendency  of  schools  of  the 
city  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  A  special  law  to  govern  the 
schools  of  that  city  had  been  enacted  and  the  school 
authorities,  desiring  to  obtain  the  foremost  man  of  the 
country  to  organize  the  school  system  of  that  city  under 
the  provisions  of  such  law,  tendered  the  position  to 
Doctor  Draper.  While  the  general  duties  of  the  office 
did  not  afford  opportunities  agreeable  to  his  desires, 
there  were  certain  features  of  the  work  which  appealed 
to  him  and  he  accepted  the  offer  on  the  distinct  under- 
standing that  he  should  remain  in  such  capacity  for 
two  years  only.  He  now  undertook  the  performance 
of  a  wholly  new  line  of  duties.  He  had  written  many 
educational  statutes;  he  was  an  accepted  authority  on 
the  general  principles  of  school  administration;  but  he 
was  now  confronted  with  the  task  of  administering  the 
details  of  the  organization  of  a  large  school  system, 
meeting  the  needs  of  a  prosperous,  progressive  city  of 
nearly  300,000  people.  When  he  had  completed  the 
two  years'  service  which  he  had  promised  to  render 
this  city,  he  had  established  a  modern  school  system 
upon  correct  business  principles  and  sound  pedagogical 
standards.  Upon  the  foundations  which  he  there  con- 
structed twenty  years  ago,  there  has  since  been  reared 
one  of  the  best  school  systems  to  be  found  in  an  American 
city. 

In  1898,  after  the  enactment  of  the  Greater  New  York 
charter,  when  the  board  of  education  of  that  city  was 
charged  with  the  duty  of  selecting  a  superintendent  of 
schools,  that  body  paid  Doctor  Draper  the  high  honor 
of  electing  him  to  that  office.  The  honor  of  being  chosen 
the  superintendent  of  the  school  system  of  the  greatest 
city  in  the  nation,  without  solicitation  upon  his  part, 
was  one  fully  appreciated  by  him  but,  as  the  work  in 
which  he  was  engaged  offered  him  rare  opportunities 
for  distinguished  service  to  the  country,  he  declined 
this  position. 

Upon  the  termination  of  his  service  as  superintendent 
of  the  Cleveland  schools,  Doctor  Draper  was  called  to 
the  presidency  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  He  was 
not  a  college  trained  man.     He  had  never  been  connected 


20 


in  any  way  with  college  interests.     He  possessed  unlim- 
ited energy  and  ready  adaptability  in  meeting  new  prob- 
lems which  came  to  him  for  determination.     He   pos- 
sessed marvelous  capacity  for  developing  the  machinery 
of  any  organization  which  he  commanded.     His  experi- 
ences had  given  him  a  broad  conception  of  the  duty 
and  obligation  of  a  state  in  providing  educational  facili- 
ties for  its  people.     Illinois  was  one  of  the  great  agri- 
cultural states  of  the  Central  West.     Within  her  borders 
was    the    second    largest   American    city.     He    saw   the 
opportunity  to  render  a  distinct  service  to  that  state 
and  he  availed  himself  of  that  privilege.     He  gave  to 
that  institution  and  to  the  state  which  it  served,  ten  of 
the  best  years  of  his  life.     When  he  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  his  office,  the  institution  had  a  student  body 
of  750  and  a  faculty  of  90.     When  he  had  completed  a 
decade  of  service,  there  were  enrolled  in  the  university 
nearly  4000  students;  it  contained  a  faculty  of  nearly 
425;  a  dozen  imposing  buildings  had  been  constructed; 
a  great  American  university  had  been  established;  and 
Andrew    S.    Draper    had    erected    a    monument    to    his 
industry,  application,  ability  and  service.     These  years 
in  Illinois  were  the  most  fruitful  ones  of  his  eventful  life. 
Fruitful  not  only  in  service  to  the  state  but  in  unconscious 
service  to  himself  through  the  service  which  he  rendered 
the  state.     The  very  best  of  his  moral  and  intellectual 
life  was  more  fully  unfolded  and  developed.     Through 
these    labors,    his    large    imagination    was    still    further 
increased,  the  broad  horizon  of  his  view  was  still  further 
extended,  his  deep  interest  and   sympathy  with  young 
people   was   still   further   enlarged,   the   strength   of  his 
great  mental  powers  was  still  further  augmented  and  his 
lofty  conception  of  the   purpose  and   scope  of  a   state 
system  of  education  and  its  influence  upon  our  national 
life  was  made  even  more  liberal  and  secure. 

What  Doctor  Draper  himself  regarded  as  the  greatest 
honor  conferred  upon  him  and  what  he  also  prized  as 
the  greatest  tribute  to  his  accomplishments  and  abilities 
occurred  in  the  year  1904.  This  event  not  only  cul- 
minated in  the  crowning  achievement  of  his  conspicu- 
ously brilliant  and  fascinating  career  but  it  became  one 
of  the  chief  events  in  the  annals  of  the  educational  history 


21 

of  the  great  Empire  State.  It  is  unnecessary  to  relate 
to  this  audience  the  history  of  that  long  and  acrimonious 
controversy  between  the  two  departments  charged  with 
the  administration  of  the  State's  educational  interests. 
Its  latest  outbreak  had  extended  through  a  period  of 
nearly  twelve  years  and  had  not  only  grown  in  intensity 
and  bitterness  but  had  involved  the  educational  workers 
of  the  entire  State  and  had  become  an  obstruction  to 
the  orderly  development  and  the  efficient  and  economic 
administration  of  the  State's  educational  affairs.  The 
Legislature  and  the  Governor  had  determined  that  the 
State's  prestige  in  educational  progress  should  no  longer 
be  jeopardized  and  that  the  causes  of  the  disturbing 
elements  should  be  eliminated.  The  unification  law 
creating  the  Education  Department  was  therefore 
enacted.  It  was  an  incongruous  measure  and  yet  it 
established  the  machinery  whereby  the  differences 
between  these  contending  forces  were  to  be  amicably  and 
permanently  adjusted.  Under  the  provisions  of  this  law, 
all  the  educational  activities  of  the  State  were  to  be 
supervised  and  administered  by  the  Education  Depart- 
ment. The  controlling  powers  of  such  department  were 
to  be  a  new  board  of  eleven  Regents  selected  from  the 
members  of  the  old  board  by  joint  ballot  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  a  new  chief  educational  officer  of  the  State, 
known  as  the  Commissioner  of  Education.  The  powers 
and  duties  of  the  Regents  and  those  of  the  Commissioner 
of  Education  were  not  clearly  defined.  The  possibility 
of  issues  as  sharp  and  bitter  in  the  new  department 
betv/een  the  board,  intended  to  be  its  governing  body, 
and  its  chief  executive  officer,  as  the  issues  which  had 
existed  between  the  two  former  departments  was  an 
impending  danger  to  the  success  of  the  unification 
measure.  The  sponsors  for  this  plan  of  unification 
earnestly  believed  that  it  afforded  a  means  for  the  proper 
settlement  of  the  question.  Their  expectations  were 
based  upon  a  vital  factor  in  every  efficient  organization  — 
the  human  element.  The  Legislature  had  reserved  to 
itself  the  power  of  choosing  the  first  Commissioner  of 
Education  for  a  term  of  six  years.  Upon  the  expira- 
tion of  such  term,  the  Board  of  Regents  was  charged 
with  the  duty  of  electing  a  Commissioner  of  Education 


22 


who   should   serve   subject   to   its   pleasure.     Timejhas 
justified  the  wisdom  of  this  provision  of  the  law.     The 
leaders  of  the  Legislature  had  undoubtedly  determined 
upon  the  man  to  be  chosen  Commissioner  of  Education 
before  the  unification  bill  passed  that  body.     The  public 
officers  law  provided  that  State  officers  must  be  residents 
of  the  State.     A  provision  was  incorporated  in  the  unifi- 
cation act  authorizing  the  election  of  a  nonresident  to 
such  office.     The  obvious   purpose  of  this  act  was   to 
permit  the  selection  of  Doctor  Draper.     He  was  there- 
upon  chosen   the   first   Commissioner   of   Education   of 
this  State.     This  action  was  a  signal  honor  to  him  and 
a   striking   recognition   of  his   great   powers,   which   he 
cherished  the  remaining  days  of  his  life.     He  had  been 
summoned    in    the    name   of   the   great    Empire    State, 
through  special  action  of  its  Legislature  and  Governor, 
to  return  to  his  native  state  and  to  aid  in  the  consum- 
mation of  a  question  vital  to  her  material  and  intellectual 
progress.     His    love    for   New   York    and    his    patriotic 
devotion  to  her  history  and  interests  compelled  him  to 
sever  his  relations  with  an  institution  to  which  he  had 
become  sincerely  attached  and  with  a  people  for  whom 
he  had  gained  an  affectionate  regard.     He  obeyed  this 
command  and  assumed  his  new  relations  with  his  old 
New  York  friends.     Those  responsible  for  his  election 
knew  that  the  qualifications  which  he  possessed  and  the 
ambition   which  would   be   his   master   made   him   pre- 
eminently the  one  person  in  this  country  for  the  execution 
of  the  arduous  duties  to  be  performed.     The  Legislature 
believed  in  the  high-minded  and  patriotic  services  of  the 
Board  of  Regents,  and  had  abundant  proof  of  its  unselfish 
devotion  to  the  public  interests.     The  whole  success  of 
the  unification  plan  now  depended  upon  the  ability  of 
Commissioner  Draper  and  the  Board  of  Regents  to  reach 
a  common  understanding  on  the  policy  to  be  pursued  in 
the    interpretation    of    the    unification    law.     It    is    no 
exaggeration   to   say   that   one   of  the   most   important 
meetings  of  this  ancient  and  distinguished  board  in  all 
its  history  was  held  on  April  26,  1904,  when  that  body 
and  Doctor  Draper  came  together  to  settle  this  question. 
It  was  a  notable  company  of  men.     The  meeting  was 
presided  over  by  that  scholarly  diplomat,  the  late  Hon. 


23 

Whitelaw  Reid,  who  soon  thereafter  became  Ambassador 
of  the  United  States  to  the  Court  of  St  James.  Four 
of  the  ablest  lawyers  and  several  leading  professional 
and  business  men  of  the  State  sat  in  that  board  meeting. 
There  was  no  certainty  as  to  what  the  result  would  be 
when  the  meeting  convened  but  there  was  satisfaction 
and  joy  in  the  hearts  of  every  member  of  that  conference 
when  the  meeting  adjourned.  The  olive  branch  had 
been  graciously  tendered  by  Commissioner  Draper  and 
had  been  cordially  accepted  by  the  Board  of  Regents. 
A  comity  in  their  relations  had  been  reached  which  meant 
peace  and  progress  in  the  educational  work  of  the  State. 
The  mutual  forbearance  manifested  by  each  party  and 
the  dignified  and  honorable  agreement  which  respected 
the  interests  involved  was  continued  by  voluntary 
agreement  for  a  period  of  six  years  or  to  the  end  of  the 
term  of  office  for  which  Doctor  Draper  had  been  elected 
by  the  Legislature.  He  was  not  an  avowed  candidate  for 
reelection  but  he  expected  to  have  that  honor  conferred 
upon  him.  His  expectations  in  this  matter  were  grati- 
fied and  by  the  unanimous  action  of  the  Board  of  Regents. 
The  best  evidence  of  the  relations  between  Doctor 
Draper  and  the  Board  of  Regents  during  this  period  and 
the  great  admiration  which  that  body  manifested  for 
him  personally  and  officially  is  to  be  found  in  their 
official  records.  In  nominating  Doctor  Draper  to  succeed 
himself  as  Commissioner  of  Education,  Regent  St  Clair 
McKelway,  now  Chancellor  of  the  University,  paid 
him  this  tribute: 

I  know  this  is  the  unanimous  intention  of  the  Board 
and  the  unanimous  desire  of  the  universities,  academies, 
common  schools,  and  of  all  bodies  whatever  in  any  way 
affected  by  an  interest  in  education  or  by  a  responsi- 
bility for  it,  in  our  Commonwealth.  I  know  also  that 
Doctor  Draper's  election  will  confirm  the  expectation  of 
every  state  in  our  Union  and  of  every  nation  abroad 
with  which  we  officially  have  educational  relations  of 
any  kind. 


24 

Regent  Sexton,  now  Vice  Chancellor  of  the  University 
said: 

The  Legislature  did  not,  by  its  enactment  of  1904, 
unify  the  educational  system  of  the  State.  It  stopped 
far  short  of  that.  It  left  the  door  open  for  possibly 
greater  abuses  and  dissensions  than  had  before  prevailed. 
But,  by  a  compact  made  at  that  first  meeting  between 
the  Commissioner  of  Education  and  the  Board  of 
Regents  —  a  compact  which  would  have  been  impos- 
sible with  a  man  of  less  greatness  of  thought  and  sin- 
cerity of  purpose  —  the  actual  educational  unification 
which  thoughtful  educators  had  so  long  prayerfully 
hoped  for  became  an  accomplished  fact  and  has  since 
existed  as  an  immeasurable  blessing  to  the  people  of 
this  Commonwealth. 

We  have  learned  to  love  and  trust  Commissioner 
Draper,  since  our  official  marriage  with  him.  We  have 
come  to  feel  that  he  is  entitled  to  our  unquestioning 
confidence  and  admiration,  not  only  as  to  his  sincerity 
of  purpose,  but  as  to  his  great,  almost  unparalleled, 
capacity  for  the  special  duty  in  life  to  which  he  has 
been  called. 

The  first  question  to  which  Doctor  Draper  gave  careful 
consideration  was  the  proper  organization  of  the  new 
department.  It  was  a  most  troublesome  proposition. 
The  work  of  the  two  old  departments  and  the  men  and 
women  who  had  been  employed  in  the  performance  of 
that  work  were  to  be  brought  together  into  one  efficient, 
economic  organization.  In  the  performance  of  this  task, 
it  was  necessary  to  exhibit  quite  as  much  regard  for  the 
aggressive  and  extensive  service  to  be  rendered  in  the 
broad  field  of  public  education  outside  of  the  Depart- 
ment as  in  the  prompt,  orderly  and  intelligent  transac- 
tion of  business  in  the  Department.  To  bring  together 
all  conflicting  interests  and  with  the  least  hardship 
possible  to  individuals  required  the  services  of  a  man  of 
integrity,  generosity  and  courage,  and  one  who  possessed 
a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  history  and  develop- 
ment of  the  State's  educational  system  and  the  best 
standards   of  modern    educational   administration.     He 


25 

established  the  general  principle  that  the  action  of  an 
employee  who  attempted  to  advance  his  interests  through 
politics,  sectarian,  fraternal  or  social  influence  would  be 
resented  and  such  action  held  to  be  a  supreme  offense 
against  Department  discipline  and  to  the  prejudice  of 
the    person    who    invoked    it.     Appointments    and    pro- 
motions would  be  made  upon  the  sole  consideration  ot 
the  qualifications  and   fitness  of  the  applicant  for  the 
special  services  to  be  rendered.     Every  employee,  from 
the   humblest   to   the   highest,   was   to   be   trusted   and 
respected.     Those  who  could  not  be  would  be  invited  to 
find  other  employment.     The  time  clock  was  accordingly 
eliminated.     Every  man   in  a   responsible  position  was 
given  freedom  in  initiative  and  in  methods  so  long  as  he 
produced  sound  results  and  showed  substantial  progress. 
Every  individual  in  the  organization  felt  secure  and  was 
in  general  sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  the  administration. 
The  cooperation  of  all  the  agencies  in  the   State  was 
solicited  and  obtained.     When  he  concluded  his  labors, 
the  institution  whose  organization  he  had  planned  and 
perfected  was  administering  to  the  educational  neces- 
sities of  2,000,000  children  under  the  direction  of  60,000 
instructors  and  at  an  annual  expense  of  ^80,000,000.     It 
also  apportioned  to  institutions  and  expended  for  adminis- 
trative purposes  more   than  ^8,000,000  of  State  funds 
annually.     All  this  work  was  done  at  an  expense  of  only 
5.7  per  cent  of  the  amount  appropriated  by  the  State. 
Of  this,  2.5  per  cent  was  used  in  meeting  general  office 
expenses  and  only  3.2  per  cent  in  the  salaries  of  officers 
and  employees. 

In  common  with  every  department  of  the  State  govern- 
ment, an  inquiry  was  made  into  the  efficiency  and 
economy  of  the  management  of  the  Education  Depart- 
ment by  a  commission  appointed  by  the  Governor,  a 
few  weeks  before  Doctor  Draper's  death.  During  its 
progress  the  Chief  Executive  repeatedly  urged  citizens 
of  the  State  to  file  complaints  with  him  in  relation  to  the 
management  and  service  of  every  department  and  insti- 
tution of  the  State.  Not  a  substantial  complaint  was 
entered  against  the  Education  Department,  notwith- 
standing that  it  represented  the  vast  interests  above 
stated  and  touched  the  sacred  and  most  cherished  rights 


26 

of  nearly  every  home  in  the  Commonwealth.  The  chief 
investigator,  who  spent  several  weeks  in  the  Education 
Department,  and  who  had  examined  the  departments 
of  more  than  a  dozen  states  as  well  as  many  large  cor- 
porations, publicly  announced  that  he  had  never  before 
seen  such  a  marvelously  complete  and  perfect  organiza- 
tion as  the  one  constructed  by  Andrew  S.  Draper  in  the 
Education  Department.  Doctor  Draper  lived  to  receive 
from  even  a  source  not  regarded  as  friendly  this  testi- 
monial of  the  greatest  achievement  of  his  public  career 
and  it  was  a  benediction  to  him  in  his  dying  days. 

Time  alone  can  set  Doctor  Draper's  contribution  to 
American  education  in  its  proper  perspective  and  permit 
a  just  estimate  of  the  great  service  which  he  rendered 
his  native  state  as  Commissioner  of  Education.  Many 
of  the  measures  which  he  inaugurated  in  that  official 
capacity  are  yet  to  be  developed  and  their  results  realized 
and  appreciated.  Time  will  permit  only  brief  mention 
of  the  more  important  accomplishments  of  his  adminis- 
tration. 

The  State  Examinations  Board  was  established  thereby 
bringing  into  harmonious  cooperation  all  the  interests 
vitally  affected  by  an  examination  system  and  requiring 
these  interests  to  share  the  responsibility  of  the  policy 
of  such  system. 

New  buildings  for  five  of  the  State  normal  institutions 
were  constructed  and  the  courses  of  studies  in  such 
institutions  modified  and  expanded  to  meet  the  demands 
for  all  classes  of  teachers  required  in  the  public  schools. 

A  system  of  professional  supervision  for  rural  schools 
was  adopted  by  the  substitution  of  qualified  district 
superintendents  for  school  commissioners  without  quali- 
fications. 

A  teachers  retirement  plan  was  enacted,  based  upon 
principles  which  recognize  the  value  of  the  service 
rendered  the  State  by  the  teaching  profession. 

A  system  of  medical  inspection  of  school  children  was 
introduced  and  placed  under  the  management  of  school 
authorities. 

The  necessary  machinery  for  the  consolidation  of  rural 
schools  was  created  and  upon  a  basis  which  already  gives 
promise  of  effective  results. 


27 

The  time  during  which  school  must  be  maintained  in 
each  district  of  the  State  was  increased  from  thirty-two 
to  thirty-six  weeks  and  the  provisions  of  the  compulsory 
attendance  laws  extended  and  more  stringently  enforced. 

Doctor  Draper  was  one  of  the  foremost  champions  of 
the  country  in  advocating  the  readjustment  of  the  school 
curriculum  so  that  it  would  meet  the  needs  of  our  complex 
civilization  and  thus  make  the  schools  an  agency  to  serve 
and  improve  the  living  conditions  of  the  people.  He 
believed  with  all  his  soul  in  the  equality  of  educational 
opportunity  and  in  all  his  writings  and  in  all  his  effective 
labors  there  breathes  the  very  spirit  of  democracy  in 
public  education.  The  elementary  syllabus,  prepared 
upon  general  lines  which  he  suggested,  and  the  industrial 
education  law%  the  general  outline  of  which  he  directed, 
are  striking  illustrations  of  his  belief  in  such  doctrine. 
His  addresses  upon  this  general  therne  are  illuminating 
documents  upon  this  great  proposition.  Many  people 
wondered  at  his  marvelous  grasp  of  this  great  modern 
school  question.  They  failed  to  appreciate  that  he  had 
been  a  student  of  this  subject  for  twenty-five  years  and 
that  he  had  discussed  the  question  with  a  discriminating 
knowledge  in  his  first  annual  report  in  1887.  In  that 
report  he  said: 

Then  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  greater 
number  can  not  profitably  seek  entrance  into  the  pro- 
fessions or  engage  in  mercantile  enterprises.  They  can 
more  profitably  take  up  manual  industries,  and  there 
would  seem  every  reason  why  the  public  should  do  for 
this  class  what  it  is  doing  for^the  other  through  the  high 
schools  and  colleges. 

Nearly  twenty-five  years  later,  when  a  system  of 
industrial  instruction  was  established  in  New; York  and 
in  several  of  the  other  states,  it  was  upon  the  foundation 
which  he  had  outlined  in  1887. 

Doctor  Draper  returned  to  New  York  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  with  an  ambition  to  induce  his  native 
state  to  accord  some  substantial  recognition  of  its  obliga- 
tions to  institutions  of  higher  learning.  His  work  in  the 
atmosphere  of  a  great  university  and  his  knowledge  of 
the    service    rendered    the    country    through    the    state 


28 

universities  of  the  central  and  western  states,  had  stimu- 
lated his  desire  to  have  New  York  lead  in  such  a  move- 
ment. He  conceived  the  idea  of  the  establishment  of 
free  scholarships  upon  the  basis  of  superior  work  in  the 
high  schools  and  academies  of  the  State.  The  scholar- 
ship measure  was  introduced  in  the  Legislature  with  the 
indorsement  of  the  colleges  and  universities  of  the  State. 
It  passed  that  body  two  consecutive  years  but  was 
vetoed  by  the  Governor.  It  passed  the  third  time  and 
received  executive  approval.  Under  it  three  thousand 
State  scholars  will  be  in  attendance  upon  the  approved 
colleges  and  universities  of  the  State  and  the  benefit 
accruing  therefrom  will  be  practically  the  equivalent  of 
the  maintenance  of  a  state  university.  The  State's 
greatest  contribution  to  higher  education  in  all  her 
history  was  made  under  a  plan  of  Doctor  Draper's  con- 
ception and  leadership.  No  single  achievement  of  his 
administration  gave  him  greater  joy  and  satisfaction. 

It  is  not  said,  of  course,  that  Doctor  Draper  was  the 
first  to  consider  or  propose  all  the  reforms  and  measures 
associated  with  his  name  or  tiiat  he  accomplished  these 
marvelous  results  unaided.  No  person  v/as  more  ready 
to  acknowledge  and  none  possessed  keener  appreciation 
of  the  service  contributed  by  others  to  the  successful 
conclusion  of  any  of  his  plans.  He  gave  full  measure  of 
credit  to  those  associated  with  him  and  to  the  pro- 
gressive men  and  women  engaged  in  educational  work  in 
the  State  who  supported  and  cooperated  with  him. 

He  had  not  completed  the  work  which  his  great  imagi- 
nation unfolded  to  his  vision  when  the  hand  of  death  was 
laid  upon  him.  He  had  large  plans  for  the  future  develop- 
ment and  administration  of  the  important  interests  under 
his  charge.  Before  he  went  to  Europe  to  recuperate  his 
broken  health  in  the  summer  of  191 2,  he  revealed  to 
some  of  his  advisers  the  plans  which  he  contemplated. 
He  knew  that  time  would  be  required  for  their  accomp- 
lishment. He  had  unbounded  faith  in  the  belief  that, 
if  it  should  not  be  his  privilege  to  lead  in  the  consumma- 
tion of  such  great  work,  those  charged  with  the  selection 
of  one  to  perform  that  duty  would  be  guided  by  wisdom 
and  discretion  in  the  discharge  of  that  obligation.  Those 
who  are  familiar  with  the  scholarship,  the  broad  experi- 


29 

ences  and  the  achievements  of  Doctor  Finley  and  with 
the  ideals  which  he  possesses  have  proof  that  Doctor 
Draper's  faith  has  been  fully  justified. 

What  a  heritage  he  left  to  posterity  and  what  a  record 
of  notable  service  in  every  field  of  activity  in  which  he 
was  employed:  a  practical  and  successful  teacher;  a* 
leading  advocate  and  practitioner  at  the  bar;  a  high- 
minded  and  commanding  factor  in  the  management  of 
the  affairs  of  a  great  political  party;  a  legislator  of  wisdom 
and  influence;  a  judge  of  a  distinguished  national  court; 
a  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  of  national 
fame;  a  successful  superintendent  of  the  school  system 
of  a  great  American  city ;  a  president  and  builder  of  a  great 
state  university;  a  commissioner  of  education  in  the 
Empire  State  for  nine  years,  and  an  official  whose  prestige 
was  a  powerful  instrument  in  the  improvement  and 
development  of  a  great  state  system  of  public  educatiori! 

The  true  measure  of  a  man's  greatness  and  culture  is 
not  the  institutions  from  which  he  was  graduated  or  the 
books  which  he  has  read,  but  the  things  which  he  has 
accomplished  for  the  uplifting  of  humanity  and  the 
influence  which  the  force  and  power  of  his  personality  and 
character  have  exercised  upon  his  fellowmen.  Measured 
by  this  standard,  Andrew  S.  Draper  stands  out  boldly 
as  one  of  the  great  intellectual  forces  of  his  generation. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  LOS  ANGELES 
THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


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